How to Begin the Organization Process

An Area Before We Organized It

When I began this process I would pick a room to start in.  Then I would take the time to plan what I wanted for a result.  There are so many ideas out there on the web.  I have also found a lot of great ideas on Pinterest.  Another way to find organization systems that really work is to pay attention to when you go and visit someone.  Most people are more than happy to give an organization tip or success story.
My plan could be as big as the whole room (right now we are in the process of planning out how we will organize the kids rooms when Buddy moves into a big boy bed) or more often I see something on a much smaller scale that I think would work and decide to give it a try.

Once I have a plan, it's time to put it into action.  I start by weeding out whatever I am organizing.  I divide it into 3 piles: Keep, Give Away, Trash.  Next, I handle the give away and trash piles.  I have found that it is best to do this right away.  If I wait the excuses keep building and it never gets done.  The Colonel is the king of procrastination, which at times can make moving forward with organization very difficult.  He is finally starting to see the benefits of organization for our family.  Next comes making sure the organization system we want is affordable and will fit where it needs to go.  There are times when a system I think is really cool just won't fit where I want it to go.  Then I either go back to the drawing board or get creative and make my own adjustments to make it work.  I also find that it is best to plan for one type of thing per container and to leave a little extra space in the container. 
Finally comes the fun part of purchasing or making the parts needed for the organization system. Some of the basics we have found helpful can be purchased at our amazon store.  There are some diy ideas on our pinterest board.  If you like what you see, please feel free to follow us.
Once the project is completed you get to sit back and enjoy or, as I often do, use that sense of accomplishment as motivation to start the next project.
Sometimes the process of organization is easy and other times it feels like the hardest thing you have ever done.  If you read Organization - Our Story then you will know our bedroom was the only area left to organize before our first apartment burned down.  When I started thinking about unpacking and organizing our bedroom in the new apartment I would get major panic attacks and migraines.  I couldn't even get to the actual organizing part.  I did a lot of journaling to help process the feelings.  The Colonel was extremely patient with me and forgiving as I would tend to flip out at him over the stupid little things rather than face the elephant in the room.  Journaling got me to a place where I was finally ready to face the elephant.  The first time I started unpacking/organizing our bedroom I doubt I lasted more than 5 minutes before I broke down and cried.  Nightmares started and I kept getting this awful sense that something awful was going to happen.  I kept reminding myself that I was doing this for my family and none of us deserved to live in clutter or chaos.  The more I worked on the room, the longer the time I could spend in there got and the better I felt about it.  Our plan to maintain it still needs some work, but the basics are finally done and the past has been conquered.
Do you have an organization success story?  

Organization - Lessons Learned

• Less is More - We have learned to have things to improve our quality of living not live to take care of the things.  More things means that they take longer to clean and take care of.  It is also very hard to remember everything you have when you have a lot, which leads to buying doubles and essentially wasting money.

• It is Ok to Say No - We have had many things offered to us in the course of our marriage.  We have had to learn that if we don't need it or it does not reflect us that it is ok to say no.  Some are ok with this and others get offended even though we always try to say no as politely as possible.  We had to ask ourselves if it was better to live with unnecessary things, take time away from our children trying to re-donate the item, or to risk offense. While not what we want, we have come to the conclusion that in these cases it is better to risk offense.  We have also learned that if the giver has the best interests of our little family that the offense wears off rather quickly and they do understand that we are trying to give our children the best life possible.
• Organization can Create a Happier, Less Stressful Environment - I am not talking about the ocd it can't ever look like it's been lived in kind of organization.  I am talking about the we have what we need and everything has a place type of organization.  The not having to hunt for the keys, knowing what bill needs to paid when, and being able to sit down with the family without those dirty dishes haunting you.  For me as a trucker's wife I find this to be an absolute necessity, a big time and money saver, and very valuable for my sanity.
• Organization Saves Money - When we know what we have and where it is we don't need to buy all kinds of extras.  I have also found that by knowing what I have many times I can repurpose  an item instead of going out to buy a new item.  We have also found that Christmas and Birthday lists save money for the giver and make them feel better because they know they are getting a gift that our child needs/would really like so their money is not being wasted.

Organization - Our Story

Organization is not a strong point of our family.  It has grown to matter much more to me than to my husband.  In our first apartment everything was a disaster.  It looked like we belonged on an episode of Hoarders.  Just about everything was a hand-me-down and very few of those things were a true representation of us.  All the disorganization created a lot of stress and strife in our relationship.
As the Colonel was preparing to start his trucking career and go on the road, it was important to me (being left home with a toddler) that the apartment was manageable.  Unfortunately, the Colonel procrastinated and essentially when he left for training I was left with a very upset 18 month old and a disaster of an apartment.  For those of you about to go on the road, leaving your family in this situation is NOT a good idea on any level!  Leaving your family set up for success will give you more peace of mind on the road.
So I began to organize our apartment little by little.  I had finished every room except for our bedroom when our apartment burnt down. We were very fortunate to be given a lot and had a lot of things that were salvageable.  And so the process started all over again.
This time we began weeding out as well.  If it was not truly us or something we would use we got rid of it.  We all done having children (I had just had surgery to ensure this) so all the clothes Princess had outgrown that were not neutrals were donated or went to a consignment shop.  We had bits and pieces from at least 3 different dish sets.  We kept the most complete one for every day use and bought a complete set, donating all the rest.  We also learned to say no as nicely as possible to donations we did not need, even though a lot of people got very offended (we really did not need 5 playpens etc. and when you are dealing with all the fire clean up, putting your life back together, and taking care of two very young children all while your husband is gone because he still has to truck to provide for us you really don't have the time to figure out how to re-donate all the donations you don't need) This process continued as we prepared to move into a new apartment about 8 months after the fire.
Then it was back to a disaster of an apartment as we unpacked in our new home..  We worked very hard to go through, weed out, and make the most of our space.  Many of our ideas for the set up of our apartment came from the Nate Berkus Show.  Now we are finally at a point where we are organizing little areas and maintaining our organization system.  Mainly we are very careful what we bring into the apartment and we are very careful about what we ask for for birthdays and holidays.  If we have to much of something, we will put something like "No stuffed animals please, the kid's don't have any space for anymore" on their Christmas lists.  Our family and friends understand that we don't want our children living in all kinds of clutter with no space to play so they do not find it offensive.  We also go through the toys and clothes before birthdays and holidays to donate, consign or throw out anything our children no longer use or have outgrown.  Our kids even get involved because they love that they can give to another child in need and that that child will love their toys as much as they did.
(I apologize for our lack of pictures.  Many of our before pictures got destroyed in the fire)
How does all this relate to becoming debt free?  Find out in our next post Organization - Lessons Learned

A Blessing in Disguise: Giving up my Dream to be a Stay at Home Mom

When we moved into our current apartment, we had to really evaluate the contribution of my job to this family. Even through the stress and frustrations I love teaching. It has been my dream since I was in preschool. But to continue in my job, I would be putting both of my young children into the childcare system. This would cost us approximately $300 a week, just a little less than my weekly paycheck. Add in gas and other work expenses and I would be paying to go to work while someone else raised my children. I did not have children to let someone else raise them, so I finished out the school year and became a stay at home mom. My husband was concerned that I would regret giving up my dream. I can't lie, I did struggle with some resentment until I figured out that I had not given up my dream. My dream had simply changed form. I still teach. My students are just my own children instead of other people's. When my kids are both in school I may go back to teaching in a classroom, but that decision will be made when the time comes. This was by far the best decision for my family. With one parent gone so much because he is a trucker, my kids have really benefited from the stability of having the other parent in the home. My toddler is no longer afraid of groups of people. My preschooler has a much better relationship with both of us. I no longer feel stretched quite as thin. My stress level is lower and I sleep better at night. I am not costing my family money by trying to keep my dream the way I thought it should be, I can now focus entirely on my family, and I get to teach my two most precious treasures. Definitely a blessing disguised as a sacrifice! What sacrifices have you made for the financial benefit of your family that have turned into blessings in disguise?  

Introduction

We were given Your Money Map by Howard Dayton (a Christian perspective for money management) for Christmas. We had already been trying to decrease our debt, so we figured it couldn't hurt to see what the book had to say. One of the first steps was to write down everything we spent for 1 month. It was anything but convenient, especially for my trucker husband. However, it was very worth it. By doing this we had a concrete visual of where our money was going. Much of our money was going to groceries, food for the truck, clothes and other basic necessities. The other big area was my husband's cigarettes. I started researching ways to save money around the house, which I will share with you in the next few posts. This is also when I learned everything I could about couponing. A few months later with multiple reasons, my husband was ready to quit the cigarettes. He has been smoke free for 4 months now! Great for his health and it's freed up over $100 a month! Interested in taking this journey with us? Purchase your own copy of Your Money Map here.

If you are interested please leave a comment so that we know.  Thanks!